| Fort Fisher Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Cape Fear,[1] 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest ofKure Beach,North Carolina. | |
 Cover of welcome brochure, 701st Radar Squadron | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Code | ADC ID: M-115, NORAD ID: Z-115 Currently JSS ID: J-02 |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force] |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 33°59′24″N077°55′06″W / 33.99000°N 77.91833°W /33.99000; -77.91833 (Fort Fisher AFS)[2] |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1955 |
| In use | 1955-1988 June 30[3] |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 701st Air Defense Group 701st Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron |
Fort Fisher Air Force Station was aUnited States Air Force installation located on the Atlantic coast 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest ofKure Beach,North Carolina. Its primary mission was as a radar complex. It was closed on 30 June 1988 by the Air Force, and turned over to theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Today the radar installation that was the main part of the site is part of theJoint Surveillance System (JSS), designated byNORAD asEastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) Ground Equipment Facility J-02.
Fort Fisher during theAmerican Civil War was aConfederate States of America stronghold that fell to Union forces on January 15, 1865 during theSecond Battle of Fort Fisher. "Fort Fisher" had earthworks for the fort's land face, known as Shepard's Battery.[4] InWorld War II, the nearby December 1940Camp Davis had 5 live anti-aircraft ranges,[citation needed] including one named for Fort Fisher and which became the main AA range for the camp.[note 1]
Fort Fisher Army Airfield (Fort Fisher AAF) was established at the Fort Fisher anti-aircraft range and included construction of 48 frame buildings, 316 tent frames, showers and latrines, mess halls, warehouses, radio and meteorological stations, a post exchange, photo lab, recreation hall, outdoor theater, guardhouse, infirmary, and an administration building.[5] The site had a 10,000-gallon water storage tank, a motor pool, a large parade ground, three steel observation towers along the beach, and a 2,500 ft (760 m) unpaved runway (the Shepard's Battery earthworks were leveled for the runway.)[4] Today,[when?] the parking lot and visitor center for Fort Fisher sit on the remains of the runway.
When Camp Davis closed in 1944,[specify] Fort Fisher AAF had an 80-seat cafeteria, a 350-bed hospital and dental clinic, and covered an area of several hundred acres.[specify]
Fort Fisher Air Force Station was opened in 1955 on part of the Fort Fisher AAF installation as USAFPermanent System radar station "M-115"[1] during a $1 billion increase for US continental defense[6] after Hq USAF approved the Mobile Radar program in mid-1954.[7] It was assigned toAir Defense Command (ADC) as part of a planned deployment of forty-four Mobile radar stations. Fort Fisher AFS was designed as siteM-115 and the 701st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was assigned on 1 August 1955.[8]
ADC initially installedAN/MPS-7 andAN/MPS-8 radars at the site, and initially the station functioned as aGround control intercept (GCI) and warning station to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on thesquadron's radar scopes. By 1958 the AN/MPS-8 had been converted into anAN/GPS-3 and anAN/MPS-14 had been added.
In 1962 anAN/FPS-7C andAN/FPS-26 were placed in operation along with the AN/MPS-14 radars. During 1962 Fort Fisher AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-04 atFort Lee AFS, Virginia. After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 July 1962.[8] The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.
On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD IDZ-115. The station was supported logistically by nearbyMyrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina.
The Fort Fisher AFSAN/FPS-26 radar was converted to anAvco AN/FSS-7 SLBM Detection Radar that was operated byDetachment 5, 14th Missile Warning Squadron,Fourteenth Aerospace Force as part of theAvco 474N SLBM Detection and Warning System that "became operational in Mid-1972".[9][10]In addition to the main facility, Fort Fisher AFS operated several unmanned Gap Filler sites:
Myrtle Beach operated anAN/FPS-14, while Fort Bragg operated anAN/FPS-18. In addition, with the closure of ADC facilities atMCAS Cherry Point (M-116), the AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler atHolly Ridge, NC34°30′50″N077°32′08″W / 34.51389°N 77.53556°W /34.51389; -77.53556 (M-116C/M-115C) was redesignated Z-115C in 1963.
The firstBUIC III site (withAN/GYK-19) inAir Defense Command was at Fort Fisher AFS.[11]
The 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) was inactivated[8] and replaced by the 701st Air Defense Group in March 1970[12] Just before inactivation, the squadron earned anAir Force Outstanding Unit Award for exceptionally meritorious service for the period from 1 December 1968 through 28 February 1970.[13] The upgrade togroup status was done because of Fort Fisher AFS' status as a Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC) site. BUIC sites were alternate control sites in the event that SAGE Direction Centers became disabled and unable to control interceptor aircraft. The group was inactivated and replaced by 701st Radar Squadron (SAGE) in January 1974.[8][12] in reductions to defenses against manned bombers. The group and squadron shared a second AF Outstanding Unit Award for the period 1 January 1973 through 31 December 1974.[13]
Fort Fisher AFS came underTactical Air Command jurisdiction in 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the creation ofADTAC.
The "Fuzzy-7" was deactivated after theRaytheon AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS Radar atRobins Air Force Base was completed on 5 June 1986,[14] and the base closed on 30 June 1988,[15] and the USAF retained the housing complex and converted it into theFort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area[16] which transferred toSeymour Johnson Air Force Base when Myrtle Beach AFB closed in 1993.
Ground Equipment Facility J-02 continued use of the USAF radar in theJoint Surveillance System (JSS), and "in 1995 anAN/FPS-91A performed search duties."[1] A portion of the base was returned to the state ofNorth Carolina which turned much of it into theFort Fisher State Recreation Area and historic site.
The Fort Fisher site[which?] is used by the National Guard as a training area and also hosts the Annual Seafood, Blues and Jazz Festival.[17][verification needed]
Squadron[8]
Group[12]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1962-31 December 1963 | 701st Radar Squadron[19] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 December 1968-28 February 1970 | 701st Radar Squadron[13] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 17 January 1974-31 December 1974 | 701st Radar Squadron[13] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1973-17 January 1974 | 701st Air Defense Group[13] |
Explanatory notes
Footnotes
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
